The Crime Ledger: October 14, 2026

Las Vegas: Duane “Keffe D” Davis Gets 40 Years to Life for Tupac Shakur Murder

Clark County District Judge Carli Kierny sentenced Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, to 40 years to life in prison on Tuesday, Oct. 13, for orchestrating the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur, PBS NewsHour and NBC News reported. The sentence includes a 20-year mandatory enhancement for profiting from the killing. “You don’t get to take a man from his family,” the judge told him. “You don’t get to take his very life, his whole life, and just walk away from it, especially when that man is Tupac Shakur.”

A jury convicted Davis in August of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon after deliberating for less than three hours. He is the only person ever charged in Shakur’s death. The case stayed unsolved for decades until Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, described his role in interviews and in his 2019 memoir. Prosecutors said the shooting followed a scuffle between Davis’s nephew and Shakur earlier that night. On Sept. 7, 1996, Shakur was in the passenger seat of a black BMW driven by Marion “Suge” Knight when a white Cadillac pulled up at a red light and shots were fired. Shakur, 25, died six days later; Knight survived.

Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, asked for the maximum. “He was a father figure to me,” she told the court. Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo said that whatever the sentence, Davis was “guaranteed to die” behind bars. Asked if he wanted to address the court, Davis said, “No, I’m good,” and asked only for the return of photos and other items police took from his house. His lawyer, Michael Sanft, said he will appeal, arguing prosecutors waited too long to bring the case.

Elizabethtown, New York: Montreal Father Luciano Frattolin Gets 25 Years to Life for Drowning Daughter Melina, 9

Judge Tatiana Coffinger on Wednesday, Oct. 14, sentenced Luciano Frattolin of Montreal to 25 years to life in prison for the second-degree murder of his 9-year-old daughter, Melina, plus up to four years for concealment of a human corpse, to be served consecutively, WNYT and The Canadian Press reported. The judge first rejected a defence motion to set aside the guilty verdict. A jury in Elizabethtown, New York, convicted him on Aug. 10 after deliberating for about an hour.

Frattolin and Melina were finishing a weeklong trip in the United States when he reported her missing on July 19, 2025, telling police two men had abducted her while he was at a rest area in Queensbury. An Amber Alert went out, but police quickly doubted his account. Her body was found the next day in a marsh near Ticonderoga; the autopsy found she drowned. Prosecutors used licence plate reader data, phone records and surveillance footage to rebuild his movements that day. Melina’s parents lived apart, and her mother had full custody.

Raiford, Florida: Florida Executes James Robertson, Who Killed Cellmate to Get Death Row

Florida executed James Robertson, 63, by lethal injection at Florida State Prison on Tuesday, Oct. 13, for strangling his cellmate, Frank Hart, at Charlotte Correctional Institution on Dec. 10, 2008, The Independent Florida Alligator and Fox News reported. Asked for last words, he said: “Nah, I’m straight.” It was Florida’s 17th execution this year, the 45th under Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Robertson tied socks together, woke Hart and strangled him. He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and waived all appeals, telling investigators he killed Hart so he would be sentenced to death rather than spend the rest of his life in prison. After he was first charged with second-degree murder, he demanded a first-degree charge and threatened to kill again if he did not get one, court records show. He had spent long stretches in solitary confinement and told the Netflix series “I Am a Killer” that it made death row seem appealing.

Hart, who was serving a sentence for a 2003 sexual battery conviction, had told prison officials he feared for his safety in the shared cell, and was eight days from release when he died, his daughter Rebecca Hart said. “When someone you love is taken from you in such a violent way, the world keeps moving, even when a part of yours feels like it has stopped,” she told reporters outside the prison.

Meerut, India: Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla Sentenced to Death in Meerut “Blue Drum” Murder

District and Sessions Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra in Meerut sentenced Muskan Rastogi and her lover, Sahil Shukla, to death on Wednesday, Oct. 14, for murdering her husband, former merchant navy officer Saurabh Rajput, 35, and hiding his dismembered body in a blue plastic drum sealed with cement, The Times of India and the Hindustan Times reported. The two appeared by video link. They were convicted on Sept. 30, and each was also fined 50,000 rupees for murder and 20,000 rupees for destroying evidence.

Rajput returned to Meerut from London in late February 2025 and was killed on March 4. Police say the pair drugged him, stabbed him to death, cut up the body and sealed the remains in the drum after failing to fit them into a suitcase. The remains were found in mid-March after a smell came from the drum. The two were arrested after returning from a trip to Himachal Pradesh. The trial ran 126 hearings with more than 22 witnesses. The judge cited the Mahabharata, saying that punishing the guilty according to the gravity of the crime is also dharma, prosecutor KK Chaubey said.

The defence had argued no one saw the killing and that both defendants have daughters. Rajput’s mother, Renu Devi, who was in court, said she had prayed for 18 months for the death sentence. A death sentence in India must be confirmed by the High Court before it can be carried out.

Pocono Township, Pennsylvania: Mother Charged With Killing Husband and Son, 3, at Great Wolf Lodge

Metallica Harrison, 27, of Towanda, Pennsylvania, is charged with two counts of criminal homicide in the stabbing deaths of her husband, Charles Harrison, and their 3-year-old son in a guest room at the Great Wolf Lodge in Pocono Township, Monroe County, WGAL and FOX 29 reported on Wednesday, Oct. 14, citing the affidavit of probable cause. The boy’s name has not been released.

Police say she called the county control center at about 3:13 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12, and told the dispatcher she needed “help dying.” According to the affidavit, she said, “My husband and son are already gone in the bed in the living room. They’re already gone. I’m sorry,” and never asked for help for them. Officers found her in the doorway with a bleeding wrist and superficial puncture wounds to her neck. Inside, they found Charles Harrison and the boy dead on separate mattresses on the floor; the man had multiple stab wounds to the chest and the child one.

In the ambulance, the complaint says, she told paramedics: “Every day, I work so hard to be the best person, the best mother, the best wife. It wasn’t supposed to end like this.” Investigators say the family checked in on Sept. 21 and kept extending the stay, with checkout set for Oct. 13. Room records show no one entered or left after the couple came back from the arcade on Sunday night. She was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital’s Monroe campus for treatment. The charges are allegations, and she is presumed innocent.

Waterford, Ireland: Waterford Arson Victims Named as Gardaí Raid Homes Linked to Drugs Trade

Gardaí have named the four people killed in Tuesday’s arson attack on a house in the Birchwood estate in Waterford City as Kim English, Philip English and their sons Callum, 12, and Jayden, 9, RTÉ and Waterford Live reported on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Two other children, aged 14 and 6, remain in critical condition at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin in Dublin. Gardaí believe an incendiary device, thought to be a petrol bomb, set the house alight while the family of six slept upstairs.

Gardaí searched a number of homes in the city on Tuesday night whose occupants are believed to have links to the local drugs trade, and have spoken to a number of suspects, Waterford Live reported. No arrests have been made. Detectives believe the attack may be linked to organised crime and drug-related intimidation. “There are people in the community who know the person or persons who carried out this arson attack in which four people have been murdered,” Chief Superintendent Anthony Pettit said.

The family had been targeted before. Their black Seat car was set on fire overnight last month, and the same car had white paint poured over it in August 2023, Waterford Live reported. Post-mortem examinations are being carried out at University Hospital Waterford by Chief State Pathologist Linda Mulligan and State Pathologist SallyAnne Collis, and the house remains sealed for forensic examination.

This case continues from The Crime Ledger: October 13, 2026.

Seattle: Seattle Judge Orders Accused Tumbler Ridge Conspirator Held Until Trial

A U.S. federal court in Seattle denied bail on Tuesday, Oct. 13, to James Cody Bryant of Bellingham, Washington, who is charged with conspiracy to murder people in a foreign country over the February mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia, Global News and Narcity reported. Justice Department spokesperson Emily Langlie confirmed the detention order from the Western District of Washington.

Prosecutors allege Bryant conspired online with 18-year-old shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar over months, offering “tactical advice” on targets and guns and financial support. On Feb. 10, Van Rootselaar killed their mother and half-brother at home, then shot dead five students and an education assistant at the school before taking their own life.

Prosecutors wrote that Bryant “helped plan a mass murder over the course of several months” and allegedly promised not to “snitch,” even though some messages expressed disapproval of the plans. Anyone who helps plan a mass shooting and then “sits back and (literally) tries to watch as schoolchildren are murdered” is a danger to the community, the filing said. Bryant has not been convicted and is presumed innocent.

This case continues from The Crime Ledger: October 7, 2026.

Chicago: Chicago Police Name One of Their Own Former Detectives as Killer of Girl, 8, in 1960

Chicago police said on Monday, Oct. 12, that newly discovered DNA evidence ties the 1960 murder of 8-year-old Gloria Kowalewicz to Thomas McInerney, a former Chicago police homicide detective who died 20 years ago, The Guardian reported, following a Chicago Tribune investigation. “McInerney should have never worn the CPD star,” the department’s statement said. “And it is devastating to accept that he was never identified and held accountable while he was alive.” McInerney later worked as an investigator for two federal public defender offices in Nevada. Because he died before he was identified, he was never charged or tried.

Gloria was last seen on the morning of Nov. 12, 1960, walking from her West Englewood home to Mass. She was abducted and shot, and her body was found within hours in a ditch at a forest preserve southwest of the city. Police recovered a bullet, her coat and a white communion purse with a prayer book inside, and lifted a fingerprint from the purse strap. A task force interviewed about 1,300 people without identifying a suspect.

According to the Tribune, semen traces were later found on her coat, although she is not believed to have been sexually assaulted. DNA uploaded to a family tree website earlier in 2026 let the FBI link McInerney to the evidence, and further DNA, fingerprint and ballistic testing followed, police said.

Battle Ground, Washington: Clark County Solves 1962 Battle Ground Double Murder; Suspect Died Two Days Before DNA Link

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Team announced on Tuesday, Oct. 13, that it has solved the 1962 killings of Charles Hale, 71, and Lester McCollum, 67, near Battle Ground, Washington, the oldest cold case the agency has ever closed, KATU and KIRO 7 reported. The brothers-in-law were found dead on McCollum’s property on June 24, 1962, and a missing car from the property turned up in Seattle days later. Detectives suspected robbery.

In 2017, a fingerprint lifted from the rearview mirror of the recovered car was matched to Barton M. Stebbins, who was 17 at the time. Investigators found and interviewed him, then 80, in Hemet, California, in October 2025 and obtained a DNA sample. On Oct. 1, 2026, the DNA linked him to evidence from the crime scene, two days after he died. The sheriff’s office named a second suspect in the case. Because Stebbins died before he could be charged, he was never tried or convicted.

The sheriff’s office credited advances in forensic technology, DNA testing and “decades of steadfast detective work,” saying progress had been slowed by competing priorities and a lack of dedicated cold case resources.

Seoul: Korea’s Supreme Court Restores Murder Case Against Shaman, 81, in Charcoal Ritual Death

South Korea’s Supreme Court has quashed an appeals ruling that convicted an 81-year-old shaman surnamed Shim of bodily injury resulting in death, rather than murder, in the death of her niece, and sent the case back to the Seoul High Court, Chosun Biz and Seoul Economic Daily reported on Wednesday, Oct. 14. The appeals court had given her seven years. The Supreme Court also quashed suspended sentences for six accomplices, including her children and followers, who were charged with murder and aiding murder.

Prosecutors say that on Sept. 18, 2024, at a restaurant in Bupyeong District, Incheon, the group forced the niece, a woman in her 30s who worked there, to lie face down on a metal frame they had built, bound her, and kept burning charcoal in a basin beneath her for nearly three hours. She died of burns two days later. The trouble began when she tried to quit and stopped handing over the restaurant’s takings; Shim told her an “evil spirit that wants to kill your mother” had to be removed. Shim paid workers no separate wages and kept the restaurant’s revenue, the court found.

The justices held that conditional intent to kill exists when a defendant recognises the risk of death and accepts it. The Seoul High Court will now retry the case, and the defendants are presumed innocent of murder until then.

Porto Seguro, Brazil: Jury Acquits Man Accused of Killing Former Child Actor João Rebello

A jury in Porto Seguro, Bahia, acquitted Felipe Souza Bruno on Tuesday, Oct. 13, of the murder of former child actor João Rebello Fernandes, who was shot in Trancoso on Oct. 24, 2024, G1 and O Tempo reported. Bahia’s own prosecutor, Igor Saulo Ferreira Rocha Assunção, asked for acquittal, citing lack of evidence that Bruno was the killer. Only the assistant prosecutors for the family sought a conviction. Judge Michelle Menezes Quadros Patrício ordered his release. The family’s lawyers can appeal to the Bahia Court of Justice, which could order a new trial.

Security camera footage obtained by TV Santa Cruz shows Rebello trying to park beside a petrol station when at least two armed men on a motorcycle approached. He tried to flee but was shot. Police concluded Rebello had no involvement in crime and was killed after being mistaken for another man who drove the same car, looked like him and had been threatened by local traffickers. The pistol used was later found on Anderson Nascimento Sena, known as “Danda,” who died in a shootout with military police in December 2024.

Bruno was arrested in Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, in January 2025 after an anonymous tip. Two other suspects named by police will not be tried. Rebello’s sister, Maria Carol Rebello, wrote that the family is tired of searching for an answer.

Salvador, Brazil: Third Man Gets 28 Years for Murder of Quilombola Leader Mãe Bernadete

A jury in Salvador convicted Josevan Dionísio dos Santos on Tuesday, Oct. 13, of the August 2023 murder of Maria Bernadete Pacífico Moreira, the ialorixá and quilombola leader known as Mãe Bernadete, and he was sentenced to 28 years in a closed regime, G1 and CNN Brasil reported, citing the Bahia Court of Justice. His defence said it will appeal. He is the third person convicted in the case.

Mãe Bernadete was in her home in the Pitanga dos Palmares quilombo in Simões Filho on Aug. 17, 2023, with three grandchildren when two men in helmets came in, sent the young people out of the room and fired 25 shots at her. Prosecutors said dos Santos entered the house armed, ordered the grandchildren into another room and collected the family’s phones. Police concluded the killing was ordered by a local drug trafficking boss, and prosecutors said the motive was her work against the spread of drug trafficking in the community.

Arielson da Conceição dos Santos, named as the gunman, and Marílio dos Santos were convicted in April; Marílio died two days later in a shootout with military police. Three others still face trial.

Kempton Park, South Africa: Ex-Officers Rosemary Ndlovu and Nomsa Mudau Get 10 Years Over Plot to Kill Husband

The Kempton Park court on Wednesday, Oct. 14, sentenced former police officers Nomia Rosemary Ndlovu and Nomsa Mudau to 10 years’ direct imprisonment each for incitement to commit murder over a 2018 plot to kill Mudau’s then-husband, Justice Mudau, The Citizen and IOL reported, citing the National Prosecuting Authority. Ndlovu is already serving six life sentences for murdering five relatives and her partner, and the new term will run concurrently.

NPA spokesperson Magaboke Mohlatlole said Ndlovu approached a man who had been involved in the murders of her family members and asked him to help Mudau kill her husband, telling him Mudau would contact him. Phone calls and meetings followed in Tembisa, where Mudau allegedly asked the men to kill her husband, claiming he was abusive and unfaithful. The court heard she planned to pay them with insurance money she expected after his death. Justice Mudau was not harmed.

The magistrate called the case serious because both women were serving police officers at the time and noted that neither had shown remorse. Sentencing had been postponed several times while the court waited for a pre-sentence report.

Pomona, California: Ex-Boyfriend Convicted of Murdering Azusa High Cheerleader Angelina Gonzales, 17

A Pomona jury on Tuesday, Oct. 13, convicted Daniel Rodriguez, 20, of first-degree murder in the Dec. 20, 2024, stabbing death of Angelina “Angel” Gonzales, 17, an Azusa High School cheerleader with whom he had an on-again, off-again relationship, NBC Los Angeles reported, citing the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Jurors deliberated about two hours and found true an allegation that he used a knife. Rodriguez, who was 18 at the time, faces up to 26 years to life in state prison at sentencing on Dec. 8.

Deputy District Attorney Brittany Saleeby told jurors that Rodriguez picked Gonzales up after a cheerleading banquet five days before Christmas and took her to his house in Azusa, where he became upset after she saw scratches on him and accused him of cheating. Defense attorney Gary Meastas argued his client acted impulsively.

Baltimore: Judge Tosses Murder Counts in Stricker Street Fire That Killed Three Baltimore Firefighters

A Baltimore judge on Tuesday, Oct. 13, granted part of a defense motion for acquittal and threw out three counts of second-degree depraved heart murder against James Barnett, 58, who is on trial over the Jan. 24, 2022, fire on Stricker Street that killed Lt. Paul Butrim, Lt. Kelsey Sadler and EMT/Firefighter Kenny Lacayo and seriously injured a fourth firefighter, WBAL-TV and FireRescue1 reported. The judge said the state had not offered enough evidence to support murder convictions but let the jury consider second-degree arson, involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment. Lawyers for both sides gave closing arguments on Wednesday, Oct. 14, and the jury then began deliberating, CBS Baltimore reported. Deliberations ended for the day without a verdict and were to resume Thursday morning. Barnett did not testify, and his public defender, Jason Rodriguez, told jurors that “James Barnett is completely innocent of all the charges before you.”

Prosecutors allege Barnett set the fire in a vacant rowhouse. ATF Special Agent Adam St. John testified that a camera at a nearby mosque recorded a person walking toward the back of the rowhouse the night before the fire, followed by four flashes of light over about 20 seconds. Investigators believe Barnett was inside for roughly eight minutes. The video later showed smoke, sparks and flames. Barnett is presumed innocent.

Chicago: Chicago Mother Charged With Murder of Son, 3, More Than a Year After His Death

Felicia Hirn appeared in court in Chicago on Tuesday, Oct. 13, charged with the murder of her 3-year-old son, Leland Chipoco, who died on June 25, 2025, and was ordered held in Cook County Jail, ABC7 Chicago reported. Her arrest came more than a year after the death, which the medical examiner ruled a homicide, and after ABC7’s I-Team began asking about the case.

Prosecutors say Hirn first told investigators Leland was hurt falling from a park slide several days earlier and told her other children to lie. According to court records, both children, aged 7, told investigators they saw their mother grab Leland’s head with her nails and then lift him off a couch by his neck while he cried, after which he shook and did not open his eyes. One child said Hirn asked her to fetch strawberry ice cream and tried to put it in Leland’s mouth. Prosecutors say Hirn bathed him and dressed him in clean clothes before taking him to hospital. Doctors documented bruises, retinal and subdural bleeding and spinal injuries and alerted authorities.

“I will not stop to get his justice,” said Leland’s father, Mark Chipoco. Hirn’s attorney declined to comment. She is due back in court later this month and is presumed innocent.

Mobile, Alabama: Mobile Man Denied Bond in Chainsaw Killings; Aunt Called 911 Hours Earlier

A judge on Tuesday, Oct. 13, denied bond to Thomas Henry Steele, 47, who is charged with two counts of capital murder in the deaths of his grandmother and aunt, Dora Boone and Christy DeLoach, in Mobile, Alabama, FOX10 and NBC 15 reported. Steele was removed from the courtroom after making a remark when a public defender, Glen Davidson, was appointed for him. The hearing went on without him.

Mobile police found the women dead on Monday, Oct. 12, in the home on Carolina Court where Steele lived with them. Court documents accuse him of decapitating them with a chainsaw. Police have not released a motive. District Attorney Keith Blackwood said Steele’s mental health will be evaluated. “I’m not a psychiatrist. It nevertheless appears that there are some issues,” he said.

Transcripts obtained by FOX10 show a woman called 911 after 11 a.m. that Monday saying her nephew was bipolar, off his lithium and “doing some bizarre things,” including giving away his phone and car. “He’s calm! He’s not violent or anything,” she said, and was given the police department’s number. About two and a half hours later, police were called to the home, a source told FOX10. Steele is presumed innocent.

Okahandja, Namibia: Okahandja Man, 18, Denied Bail on Murder Charges After DNA Link to 2025 Schoolgirl Killing

Namibian Police acting Inspector General Anne-Marie Nainda said on Wednesday, Oct. 14, that DNA analysis completed on Oct. 13 matched a suspect to semen recovered where the body of Roswind Fabianu was found in Okahandja last year, The Namibian reported. Police said he would be formally charged with murder, rape, kidnapping and defeating the course of justice over the deaths of Fabianu and Ingrid Maasdorp, 5. Later on Wednesday he made his first appearance on those charges before Magistrate Erasmus Masule in Okahandja Magistrate’s Court and was denied bail, the Namibia Press Agency (NAMPA) reported, naming him as Karinambande Muundjua, 18. The Updated World reported that the case was postponed to March 2, 2027, for further investigation.

He was arrested on Saturday, Oct. 10, after security guards in Nau-Aib allegedly caught him trying to rape a girl at knifepoint, Nainda said. He appeared in Okahandja Magistrate’s Court on Monday on an attempted rape charge and was ordered held without bail. The Windhoek Observer, citing police sources, reported that he confessed during questioning to abducting, raping and killing both girls.

Maasdorp vanished from her Grade 0 classroom at K W von Marees Combined School on March 20, 2025, and her body was found the next day under a bridge on the B1 road, the Observer reported. Nainda said police would not release further details to avoid prejudicing the case. Muundjua has not been tried and is presumed innocent.

Melbourne: Man Charged With Murder of Jayda Allen Bonner, 21, in Carlton

Liban Ali, 31, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, Oct. 14, charged with the murder of Jayda Allen Bonner, 21, who was found dead on the fifth floor of an apartment complex on Cardigan Street in Carlton at about 1:45 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10, ABC News and Nine reported. Police say Ali turned himself in at a police station early on Tuesday and was charged on Wednesday. They allege the two knew each other. A 60-year-old man arrested in the building’s underground car park soon after she was found was released without charge.

Detective Senior Constable Darren Bolitho told the court there was a large volume of material to examine, including extensive CCTV footage and complex autopsy examinations that are still under way, and there were also “allegations of protracted family violence.” Police asked for 16 weeks to prepare the brief of evidence. Ali was not required to enter a plea and is due back in court in January.

Allen Bonner was a Yagera woman with family in Queensland. Her aunt, Kellie Carter-Bell, told The Guardian her niece was a “vibrant, beautiful young girl” who was “fed to the wolves because the system didn’t listen,” and said she had hoped to move back to Queensland to work in her community. A smoking ceremony is planned in Carlton on Saturday before a march to Parliament House to demand an end to violence against women. The charge is an allegation, and Ali is presumed innocent.

Sydney: Isaac Bechara, 19, Charged With Murder of Boy Shot in Face at Norwest Unit

NSW Police on Tuesday, Oct. 13, charged Isaac Bechara, 19, with the murder of a 12-year-old boy who was shot in the face and neck inside an apartment in Norwest, in Sydney’s north-west, on Sept. 21, ABC News and the BBC reported. The boy died in hospital three days later. Bechara did not apply for bail when he appeared in court on Wednesday, Oct. 14, and bail was formally refused. He had already been in custody, charged with concealing a serious indictable offence.

“We will be alleging that the 19-year-old male discharged the handgun, striking the victim in the chin resulting in the fatal consequences,” Homicide Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi said. “We will not be suggesting, as previously reported, that the child may have shot himself.” Police allege the shooting was reckless. Nine people were in the unit and none were hurt. Doueihi said some of the young men there, associates of the boy’s older brother, have links to organised crime groups.

Three 18-year-olds were arrested after the shooting; two were released without charge. Police said last month that some of those present were not cooperating and that the gun had not been recovered. Bechara has not entered a plea and is presumed innocent.

Sydney: Patient Charged With Attempted Murder After Man Set Alight at Prince of Wales Hospital

A 48-year-old patient at The Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick, Sydney, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after allegedly dousing three other patients in accelerant at about 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13, and setting one of them on fire, ABC News and 7NEWS reported. Hospital staff put out the flames. NSW Police have not named him. He is also charged with common assault and two counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent.

The man who was set alight, Radovan Banic, 54, a patient in the spinal unit, suffered burns to his face and hands and is stable. He told 7NEWS he was in a courtyard when the man squeezed liquid at him from a drink bottle. “It wasn’t water, it was petrol,” he said. “He lit it up and it got me. Lucky I had my leather jacket on. That’s what saved me.” He said someone threw a fire blanket over him while he tried to pull the jacket off his head. A 63-year-old man and a 64-year-old woman were treated for minor injuries and are also stable.

South Eastern Sydney Local Health District said staff “responded quickly to a safety incident involving patients” and called police. The accused is presumed innocent.

Bradley Stoke, England: Bradley Stoke Victim Named as Annette Bishop; Husband Denied Bail

The woman found fatally injured on Sherbourne Avenue in Bradley Stoke, near Bristol, on Friday, Oct. 9, has been named as Annette Bishop, 71, and her husband, Gerald Bishop, 73, is charged with her murder, the BBC and Bristol Live reported on Wednesday, Oct. 14. He appeared at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday, Oct. 13, where Judge Blair KC denied bail and set a provisional trial date of April 5, 2027. He has not entered a plea.

Emergency services found Annette Bishop seriously injured at about 2 p.m., and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Gerald Bishop was charged on Sunday, Oct. 11. Police have not said how she died.

In a statement through Avon and Somerset Police, her two children said they “remain in complete shock after losing our mother in such tragic circumstances,” adding: “She had many years ahead of her, time that should have been spent creating memories with her children, grandchildren, friends, and family.” Gerald Bishop is presumed innocent.

This case continues from The Crime Ledger: October 11, 2026.

Manchester, England: Head Teacher Michael Mullins Dragged More Than a Mile Under Car, Murder Trial Told

Simon Richardson, 35, of no fixed address, went on trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Tuesday, Oct. 13, charged with murdering Michael Mullins, 56, head teacher of Stretford Grammar School, who prosecutors say was dragged to his death for more than a mile trapped under Richardson’s car, the BBC and The Independent reported. Richardson denies murder, an alternative count of manslaughter, and dangerous driving over a police chase the next day.

Opening the case, Philip Barnes KC said Mullins, a married father of two, was cycling his usual 19-mile commute home to Northwich at 6:07 p.m. on April 20 when a black Volvo XC90 drove through give-way markings at the junction of Paddock Lane and Dunham Road in Warburton, Trafford, and hit the left side of his bike. Witnesses stopped to help, but Richardson “turned his head, put his foot down” and fled toward Cheshire, at times at double the speed limit and above 60 mph, Barnes said.

Prosecutors allege Richardson knew Mullins was under the car, stopped along the way and tried to dislodge the injured but still living cyclist, then drove on with him still trapped under the wheels. “The bike was obvious to the people who stopped to help. They could see it lying in the road,” Barnes told jurors. The trial continues, and Richardson is presumed innocent.

Dublin: Louth Triple Killing Trial: Experts Agree Robert O’Connor Was in Schizophrenic Relapse

The Central Criminal Court in Dublin heard on Tuesday, Oct. 13, that psychiatric experts for both the defence and the prosecution agree Robert O’Connor, 32, of Drumgowna, Co Louth, had a mental disorder that substantially diminished his responsibility when he stabbed his father, Mark, his mother, Louise, and his younger brother, Evan, at their home between Sept. 28 and 29, 2025, RTÉ reported. O’Connor accepts he killed them. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to three counts of murder or, alternatively, guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Prosecutor Róisín Lacey told the jury O’Connor had episodes of psychosis from a young age, was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2018 and was not always compliant with his anti-psychotic medication. Defence psychiatrist Dr Fiona Toal will say that he knew he was killing people with a weapon but, because of a delusional psychotic state, did not know it was wrong and could not stop himself. The prosecution’s expert, Dr Ronan Mullaney, accepts the diminished responsibility finding, but the experts disagree on whether he qualifies for an insanity verdict, Lacey said. The jury will decide.

St. John’s, Newfoundland: Bay Roberts Murder Trial Opens: Crown Says Michael Fillier Was Strangled Before Truck Fire

The first-degree murder trial of Terry Cole, Matthew Kavanagh and Stephanie Noftall opened on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court in St. John’s, with Crown prosecutor Colin Sheppard telling jurors the case comes down to 11 minutes, CBC News and SaltWire reported. All three have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and committing an indignity to a human body. The first witness was due on Wednesday before Justice Irene Muzychka; the trial is expected to run eight weeks.

Just before 9 a.m. on Sept. 30, 2024, an RCMP officer found the body of Michael Fillier, 42, inside a burned blue Chevrolet Colorado on a dirt road in Bay Roberts. A cord was wrapped around his neck three times, with the other end tied to the driver’s headrest post. Sheppard said Fillier was strangled before the truck was set on fire.

The Crown says CCTV from a Bay Roberts gas station shows Fillier, driving a friend’s truck, pulling up to a pump at 5:40 a.m. with Noftall as his passenger, paying for gas and driving behind the building. The truck then disappears from camera coverage for 11 minutes before it was found burning. The accused are presumed innocent.

Aubagne, France: Aubagne Boy, 14, Ordered Held in Pre-Trial Detention; Admits Facts but Denies Intent to Kill

The 14-year-old boy arrested after shots were fired at a principal and a teacher at a collège in Aubagne on Monday, Oct. 12, has admitted the facts but denies “wanting to kill the targeted people,” France’s national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office (PNAT) said on Wednesday, Oct. 14, franceinfo and La Nouvelle République reported. Both adults were wounded. He cannot be named because of his age. After 48 hours in police custody he was placed under formal investigation by judges in Paris on Wednesday evening for attempted premeditated murders in connection with a terrorist enterprise, terrorist criminal conspiracy, and carrying and transporting weapons without legitimate reason. A liberty and custody judge then ordered him held in pre-trial detention, as prosecutors had requested, franceinfo and Corse-Matin (AFP) reported. “This day was long and gruelling and ended, as one could expect, with my client’s incarceration,” his lawyer, Fabrice Giletta, told reporters.

The PNAT said he admitted planning the attack “for several months” and told investigators he acted out of revenge for harassment by teachers and classmates that he had told no one about and that, at this stage, “did not appear corroborated.” No psychological pathology was detected. Searches turned up many social media accounts that, on a first analysis, revealed his “probable adherence” to the True Crime Community, an online movement fascinated by mass killings. He admits being influenced by it but denies acting in its name.

Three anti-terrorism investigating judges at the Paris court will now lead the inquiry. He has not been tried and is presumed innocent.

This case continues from The Crime Ledger: October 13, 2026.

Bochum, Germany: Judge Jails Bochum Resident, 41, on Murder Warrant After Fire Kills Three

Police in Bochum have arrested a 41-year-old Romanian man who lived in the apartment building where a fire killed three people and injured five before dawn on Tuesday, Oct. 13, and he is under investigation for murder and arson, n-tv and WEB.DE reported on Wednesday, Oct. 14, citing police and prosecutors. Investigators have ruled out a technical fault. A police spokesman named malice, Heimtücke in German law, as the suspected aggravating feature of murder. The motive is unclear.

Firefighters were called at about 4:15 a.m. and found residents at first- and second-floor windows calling for help. During the four-hour operation they found three dead adults in one apartment: two women aged 25 and 27 and a 26-year-old Indian man. India Today reported that the three dead were Indian nationals. Mayor Jörg Lukat called it “a tragedy such as Bochum has not experienced in decades.”

On Wednesday, at the request of Bochum prosecutors, a judge issued an arrest warrant for murder and ordered him held in pre-trial custody, police and prosecutors said in a joint statement. He is accused of three counts of murder and arson resulting in death, dpa reported, and a prosecutors’ spokesman said he made no statement on the allegations. He is known to police for assault and property offences. Police said officers had been called to the building on Sunday, two days before the fire, over a dispute; whether that is connected is unclear. He has not been indicted and is presumed innocent.

Naju, South Korea: Naju Couple Murder Suspect Named as Park Yong-su

South Jeolla Provincial Police published the name, photograph and age of Park Yong-su on Wednesday, Oct. 14, the man arrested on suspicion of robbery and murder in the deaths of a couple in their 60s at their home in Wanggok-myeon, Naju, Korea JoongAng Daily and SBS reported. His details will stay on the police website for 30 days, through Nov. 13. A police committee decided on Tuesday that the case met the legal test for disclosure, citing the brutality of the crime and the public interest, and Park did not object.

Park, who has no regular job and knew the couple, is accused of fatally stabbing the husband and strangling the wife between 9:28 p.m. and 11:57 p.m. on Oct. 5, then taking their bank card and withdrawing 6 million won, about $4,500, from an ATM. Investigators say he spent all of it at an adult gaming arcade in Gwangju. A relative who could not reach the couple called police, and they were found at about 7:49 p.m. on Oct. 6 with their hands and feet bound, one in the living room and one in the main bedroom.

Park told police he “had not intended to kill them,” but investigators suspect the killings were premeditated. Police plan to send the case to the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday. He has not been indicted and is presumed innocent.

This case continues from The Crime Ledger: October 13, 2026.

Ciudad Real, Spain: Manzanares Double Murder Accused Blames “Two Strangers” on the Stand

Antonio Caba, the main defendant in the murders of two businessmen from Manzanares, denied killing either man when he testified on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the Audiencia Provincial in Ciudad Real, Spain, but admitted helping to hide the crimes, which he said were “committed by third parties,” CMM and En Castilla-La Mancha reported. He answered only his own lawyer’s questions. The victims are Jesús María González Borrajo, who died in 2019, and Juan Miguel Isla, who disappeared on July 22, 2022, and whose body was found on a farm in Valdepeñas.

Caba said he went with Isla to collect a final 50,000 euro cash payment on a farm sale and left him at the La Mejorada estate with another man, who later told him he had killed the businessman. He said González Borrajo fell, hit his head and died after an unnamed man grabbed him by the chest at a warehouse in Manzanares. He named neither man. He accused his co-defendant, Gaspar Rivera, of dismembering González Borrajo’s body. “He cut it. I didn’t cut it, I didn’t dare,” Caba said, adding that he paid Rivera 1,000 euros. “I am here deservedly, because I didn’t kill him, but I have had part of the blame for the pain inflicted on the family.”

Rivera, charged as an accomplice, said Caba was responsible for both deaths and that he helped only out of fear. He testified that González Borrajo’s body was already cut up when Caba brought him to the warehouse, that the torso was burned in a fireplace and that bags of remains were thrown into a well. “I did not take part in the death of either of these two people,” he said. Both men are presumed innocent until verdict.

Lima, Peru: Peru Arrests Alleged Gang Boss Over Killing of Ex-Congressman Óscar Medelius

Peru’s National Police have arrested four people over the Feb. 10, 2025, shooting in Carabayllo, Lima, that killed former congressman Óscar Medelius Rodríguez and Juan Huidobro García and wounded Lourdes Fernández, Infobae and Willax reported on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Police identify José Luis Aybar Cancho as the alleged leader of Los Malditos de Carabayllo and say he sent the two gunmen, who were caught in 2025. Also held are Jorge Antonio Díaz Marticorena, alias “Cuquín,” Raimundo Bejar Quispe, alias “Edmundo,” and Miguel Ángel García Calderón. Two were arrested in Ocucaje, Ica, and two in Lima.

The attackers intercepted Medelius’s pickup at the junction of Universitaria and Camino Real avenues and fired at least 20 shots. Huidobro, in the passenger seat, died later at Sergio Bernales Hospital; Fernández, in the back seat, survived wounds to her right arm and neck. Colonel Carlos Morales, head of homicide investigations, said the group had used violence since 2020 to try to take over a transport concession the three managed. “They didn’t stop until they tried to kill him,” he said. Police have ruled out a political motive. Medelius, a former president of the Sport Boys football club, was a contentious figure in Peruvian politics. The four have not been tried and are presumed innocent.

Guadalajara, Mexico: “El Cromo,” Oaxaca Gang Leader Linked to Killing of Girl, 4, Arrested in Guadalajara

Mexican naval intelligence and the National Intelligence Center arrested a man identified by authorities as Iván N., alias “El Cromo,” in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch announced on Wednesday, Oct. 14, López-Dóriga Digital and El Horizonte reported. Authorities describe him as a leader of Los Cromos, a criminal group linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and tied to killings, extortion, kidnapping and drug and arms trafficking in Juchitán de Zaragoza and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca.

He faces two arrest warrants for aggravated homicide covering three victims, and intelligence records show a third homicide warrant from 2020, officials said. Investigators also point to his organisation in the killing of a 4-year-old girl in Juchitán. A citizen reward of up to 2 million pesos had been offered for him. The government said the arrest was part of sustained work against groups driving violence in the region. He has not been convicted and is presumed innocent.

Mumbai: Key Accused Held in Mumbai in Mad Sandhu Killing

Punjab Police’s Counter Intelligence unit in Jalandhar and Mumbai’s Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested a man identified as Jobanpreet in Mumbai, a key accused in the Oct. 3 killing of Punjabi influencer and makeup artist Madhusudan Singh Sandhu, known as Mad Sandhu, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Wednesday, Oct. 14, ETV Bharat and The New Indian Express reported. Police recovered three pistols, five magazines and 11 cartridges from him. Eight others had already been arrested.

Yadav said preliminary investigation shows Jobanpreet moved weapons and provided money and logistics to the shooters “at the behest of foreign-based handlers,” and that he confessed to three extortion-linked shootings in Tarn Taran district. Police are trying to find out where the weapons came from and whether they were meant for another major crime.

Sandhu was shot at close range by two men on a motorcycle on Loharka Road in Amritsar, where he had gone to collect his car from a wash. He often spoke on podcasts about makeup, film and gender issues and faced constant homophobic trolling online. Jobanpreet has not been charged in court and is presumed innocent.

This case continues from The Crime Ledger: October 11, 2026.

Salasar, India: Chemist Arrested After Punjab Anti-Drug Activist Parvinder Jhota Shot Dead on Facebook Live

Punjab and Rajasthan police arrested chemist shop owner Ashwani Kumar, the main accused in the killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, known as “Baba Boxer,” in Salasar, Rajasthan, late on Tuesday, Oct. 13, The New Indian Express and Odisha Ray reported. Police say he was hiding in disguise at a dharamshala near the Balaji Temple and the pistol used in the shooting was recovered. A man accused of helping him flee was also arrested.

Jhota was shot in daylight in Mansa on Tuesday after confronting Kumar over the alleged sale of drugs to an elderly man at Kumar’s medical shop. The confrontation, and the shooting, were streamed live on Jhota’s Facebook page. Jhota campaigned against drug abuse and the illegal sale of drugs through medical stores.

The killing set off protests in Mansa, where supporters vandalised the shop and raised slogans against police, and Jhota’s family refused to cremate him until the killer was caught. Police said they were waiting for a statement from the family before registering the First Information Report. Kumar has not been charged in court and is presumed innocent.

Delhi: Delhi Club Manager, Wife and Bouncers Held After Man Beaten to Death Over Spilled Beer

Delhi police have arrested five people, including a club manager, his wife and a bouncer, and registered a murder case after Daljeet Singh, a 29-year-old driver from JJ Colony in Raghubir Nagar, died following a beating at a club on New Rohtak Road in north Delhi, The Times of India and The Economic Times reported on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

Singh went to the club with five friends at about 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11. His friend Tinu told the Times of India that a minor collision caused beer to spill on the manager’s wife, Harshita, whose birthday was being celebrated, and an argument turned into a fight in which bouncers joined in. A friend said Singh was struck on the stomach, legs and head, and Tinu alleged Harshita grabbed him by the hair and hit him with bottles. The assault was captured on CCTV, police said.

The group went home. Singh vomited and went to sleep, police said, and around noon his condition worsened. His wife, Puja, took him to Guru Gobind Singh Hospital in Khayala, where doctors pronounced him dead. The accused are presumed innocent.

Palakkad, India: Seven Arrested in Kerala Over Mob Killing of Homeless Man Near Moolathara Dam

Kerala police have arrested seven men over the beating death of a 40-year-old man who repeatedly slept in the courtyard of a house in Palakkad district, Mathrubhumi and SocialNews.XYZ reported on Wednesday, Oct. 14. The victim, believed to have a mental illness and to have survived by begging, has not been identified. Residents found his body near the Moolathara dam on Sunday morning. Police identified the main accused as Kathiresan of Moolakkadavu and arrested him with six others after examining CCTV footage.

Police say the men, allegedly drunk, spotted the victim while drinking at a toddy shop, chased him about half a kilometre while throwing stones, then cornered him near the dam and repeatedly struck his face and head with wooden logs and stones, continuing after he collapsed. Police allege the attackers poured liquor into his mouth when he asked for water. The accused had warned him repeatedly to stop sleeping outside Kathiresan’s house, police said. All seven are presumed innocent.

İzmir, Turkey: İzmir Firefighter Jailed, Accused of Torching Ex-Partner’s Home With Her Inside

A court in İzmir, Turkey, has ordered Abdullah Karabina, 45, a member of the Gümüldür fire brigade, jailed pending trial over the death of Ebru Serep, 51, his former partner of about 10 years, Hürriyet and Dokuz Eylül reported on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Serep was pulled badly burned from a fire at her home on 59th Street in Seferihisar’s Hıdırlık neighbourhood on Oct. 6 and died a week later in intensive care at Dokuz Eylül University Hospital.

Seferihisar police reviewed security cameras and witness statements and concluded that Karabina bought a can of petrol at a fuel station on the day of the fire, went to Serep’s house and set it alight, the reports said. In his statement, Karabina reportedly claimed Serep had been seeing other people and said the two had argued many times out of “jealousy.” He has not been convicted and is presumed innocent.

Kastamonu, Turkey: Four Men From One Family Shot Dead in Kastamonu Village Quarrel

Four members of one family were shot dead on Monday, Oct. 12, in Akdeğirmen village in the Taşköprü district of Kastamonu, northern Turkey, after an argument turned into a fight, NTV reported. A man identified by his initials, Ç.A., opened fire with a handgun on İlhan K., his sons Sefa K. and Ali K., and his brother Halit K., who all died at the scene. Gendarmerie caught the suspect after the shooting, and gendarmerie and commando units imposed wide security measures in the village. The bodies were taken to the morgue after a prosecutor’s examination. The cause of the argument has not been reported. The suspect is presumed innocent.

Nijmegen, Netherlands: Three More Arrests in Nijmegen Four Days Festival Killing of Jahfairel Frankly

Dutch police arrested three more young men on Wednesday, Oct. 14, in the investigation into the fatal shooting of Jahfairel Frankly, 18, of Rotterdam, in Nijmegen, bringing the number of suspects to five, Moordplekken reported. The new suspects are an 18-year-old man from Zwaag, a minor from Hoorn and a 19-year-old man from Avenhorn. On Monday, Oct. 12, detectives arrested a 19-year-old from Amsterdam and a 21-year-old from Hoorn, who remain held with full restrictions and are being questioned. Four of the five come from West Friesland in North Holland.

Frankly had travelled from Rotterdam with friends to the Vierdaagsefeesten, the festival that accompanies the Four Days Marches, when he was shot on the Graafseweg at about 10 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. Police have not named any of the suspects, all of whom are presumed innocent.

Prato, Italy: Man Walks Into Prato Police HQ and Confesses to Shooting Roommate, Setting Body Alight

A 53-year-old Chinese man was arrested in Prato, Italy, on Tuesday, Oct. 13, after walking into the police headquarters and saying, “Yes, it was me,” shortly after a man was found shot dead in a burning attic flat on Via Marini in the city’s Chinatown, Sky TG24 and Il Tirreno reported. Passersby saw smoke coming from the attic windows at about 12:10 p.m. Firefighters found the body, which had been set on fire after the shooting, in what investigators believe was an attempt to destroy evidence. The victim, also Chinese, had not been identified.

The suspect told police he shot his roommate twice because the man filmed him on a phone while he was taking drugs and would not stop. “I told him to stop or I would shoot him, he didn’t stop and I shot him,” he said, according to Il Tirreno, which reported that investigators do not find that motive convincing. Police recovered a 7.65 calibre pistol from a glass recycling bin. He has not been named and is presumed innocent.

Cervia, Italy: Autopsy Rules Out Accident in Beating Death of Cervia Camper Dweller Nicola Musiani

The autopsy ordered by Ravenna prosecutors has concluded that Nicola Musiani, 54, did not die of accidental injuries but of a “repeated succession of blunt traumas concentrated in a short interval of time,” Rai News and RavennaToday reported on Wednesday, Oct. 14, citing ANSA. Forensic pathologist Dario Raniero found Musiani died of a very severe brain injury, with the fatal wounds on the left side of the head, but said the injuries alone could not identify the object that caused them.

Investigators say Musiani was beaten in the car park at Pinarella di Cervia, where he had lived in his camper for years, on the night of July 19. He was chased and pelted with stones and bicycles, then hit with kicks, punches and bottles as he lay on the ground. The report could not say with certainty which injuries came from blows and which from his fall, a point Rai News said the defence is likely to raise.

Six young people from Forlì could soon be sent to trial. Five, aged 18 to 23, are in jail and a minor is under house arrest. They have told magistrates they acted partly because Musiani showed a knife after an argument. All are presumed innocent.

Setúbal, Portugal: Portugal Arrests Ex-Partner and Two Men Over Bathtub Killing in Setúbal

Portugal’s Judiciary Police have arrested two men and a woman over the May 20 killing of a 44-year-old man in Setúbal, the woman’s ex-partner, Diário de Notícias and SAPO reported on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Police point to conflicts over parental responsibilities and financial difficulties as the motive. All three have been ordered held in pretrial detention.

According to police, the two men studied the victim’s routine, confronted him when he came home from work, tied his hands behind his back with cable ties and took him inside. There they found a 25-year-old woman who had been staying at the house for a few days; they threatened, gagged and tied her up. They then put the man in the bathtub and cut his neck with a pocketknife, and he bled to death. The men took some belongings and fled to the arrested woman’s home, leaving the bound woman behind. The suspects have not been named and are presumed innocent.

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